Hardin Valley baseball coaches sue parent for defamation

Two Hardin Valley Academy baseball coaches have filed a $6 million defamation lawsuit against a parent who filed a complaint against them earlier this year that was later cleared.

The parent sent a letter to Hardin Valley and Knox County Schools administrators in March, accusing head coach Joe Michalski and assistant coach Zach Luther of causing physical and emotional abuse against players on the team. The parent claimed the coaches told players not to dodge balls that were purposefully thrown at them as part of a drill.

Michalski and Luther were removed from coaching while the Department of Children's Services reviewed the complaint. DCS found no evidence of improprieties, and the coaches were cleared of wrongdoing.

The two coaches have now filed a lawsuit against the parent, Sheri Super, claiming her accusations hurt their reputations, and hurt their future employment opportunities.

The lawsuit also argues that Super lied in her original complaint to school officials.

The lawsuit says the coaches were "subjected to needless humiliation and embarrassment" because of Super's complaint. It also accuses her of lying to the Knox County Sheriff's Department as they investigated the complaint.

The lawsuit, filed by attorney Jeffrey Whitt in Knox County Circuit Court, is seeking compensatory damages of $1 million for each coach, and punitive damages of $2 million for each coach.